Rep. Trent Franks: Obama Is ‘The Abortion President’

(CNSNews.com) -- Representative Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said President Barack Obama’s opposition to pro-life legislation such as the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), which would prohibit sex-selection abortion, is the reason why Obama is “the abortion president.”

“I guess as it happens, President Obama did come out, I’m understanding, last evening as against this bill -- and I just have to say that underscores why some of us refer to him as the abortion president,” said Franks during a Capitol Hill press conference on PRENDA.

“There has never been a more pro-abortion leader in the White House in the history of the United States,” said Franks.

“I just am astonished that the leader of the free world would be against a bill that would protect unborn children from being aborted based on their sex," said the congressman.

At the same press conference, Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, discussed her group’s exposure, on video, of a Planned Parenthood employee apparently giving advice on how to ensure a sex-selection abortion.

That employee was fired by Planned Parenthood on Tuesday.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.). (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

Lila Rose said, “Planned Parenthood denies that this is even a problem, they say, well, we [they] fired the employee or this doesn’t follow protocol. But at the same time, they’re fighting to stop PRENDA. They’re fighting for the right to do sex-selective abortions of little girls.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said it was a “sad day in America” when the president opposes legislation that would ban sex-selection abortion, what Smith called “an egregious assault on baby girls” and “the real war on women.”

Then, late on Wednesday, ABC’s Jake Tapper reported that the White House opposed PRENDA because of potential legal troubles incurred by doctors if they fail to accurately determine the motives of the woman who wants to have an abortion.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.). (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

In a statement, White House Deputy Press Secretary Jamie Smith said, “The Administration opposes gender discrimination in all forms, but the end result of this legislation would be to subject doctors to criminal prosecution if they fail to determine the motivations behind a very personal and private decision. The government should not intrude in medical decisions or private family matters in this way.”

The House failed to pass PRENDA on Thursday in a vote that took place under suspension of rules, which means it required a two-thirds majority for passage.

If enacted, PRENDA would have criminalized abortions that are a result of discrimination on the basis of gender. Those who perform these types of abortions would have faced both monetary fines and sentences of up to 5 years in prison.